West End
A small agricultural village east of River's Landing, West End has revitalized a once declining industry. It's tobacco has made its way across both states and is a favorite in the various communities around the Kansas City Ruins. History West End was settled in the pre-war settlement of Weston, Missouri just after the Great War. The settlement only took damage as a result of it's proximity to Fort Leavenworth and Kansas City, as well as from the Black Rain. The resulting shock wave would damage or collapse several structures in the town, but most residents would come through alright. The town would see some violence as refugees passed through and a few would try looting, but would manage to pass the winter without further loss of life. The next year would be harder, as their staple crops had mutated, but would still manage to plant. One farmer looked ahead to the long winter and planted a plot of tobacco and tomatoes. This would pay of, with the plant being even more potent due to the radiation. The community would recover from the shock of the war fairly well, and things passed quietly until 2120. In that year a raider band would move into town, occupying it without a shot fired. This would last four years, with the two sides getting along fairly well, before the raiders were killed on a raid. The town would go back to their previous routines and trading excess tobacco with the surrounding communities. In this period the renaming of the town would occur, due to it's position in the state. 2141 would see the town flood after heavy rains, and the crop ruined. It would take several years to recover, and as they started to, raiders would come again. These wouldn't be the business-like raiders of a generation before, these were the chem-fueled nightmare of all small communities. They would rape and pillage the town, and burn many of the structures, leaving West End devastated. The population would match the town, and most would leave, with the town being abandoned for the next thirty years.humans would resettle West End in 2180, this time from Nebraska. A merchant expedition, these settlers would fortify a collection of houses of huts near the fields, and turn their attention on tobacco cultivation. After getting their crops in, the new town would be harassed by Jackalope and mole-rats, eager to eat the produce. Despite the best efforts of these vermin, the merchant-farmers would bring in a large harvest of tobacco, which they bundled and sent off to their backers north. Their success caused them to send word to friends and families to join them, which doubled their size by 2183. One of these newcomers would discover the town museum that year, and after entering the basement would discover the tobacco presses. He would report this find to the others who were interested in its potential, but lacked the time to repair it.As they better fortified and arranged their fields however, the merchants would start to clear the rubble out of the structure. By 2187 the presses were active again making easier to transport plugs, and increasing their value. Raiders would return to West End in 2190, hearing of the town's wealth, but found a fortified militia ready. This victory would attract settlers and the town expanded to sixty by the end of the century. The increase of manpower would allow them to both expand their fields and collapse in the nearby woulds. This combination would boost yields by 30%, allowing them to fund the reclamation of the town. A tornado damaged West End in 2206, but it's effects were repaired by the next year. The early 2210s would be frustrating for the people of West End, as swarms of Breeder Bugs migrated through, destroying the tobacco crop, and setting them back years. The fields were replanted and growing by 2217 however, and they resumed exporting their product. These shipments would come under attack however, and a quarter never reached their destination. This caused the merchants to hire a mercenary band to destroy the bandits, a task accomplished by the end of 2218. The 2220s were a peaceful decade for the town, with more settlers moving into shacks and pre-war residences. This growth period would end in the winter of 2232, when an outbreak of Weeping Flu swept through town. While the virus wasn't fatal by it's self, the addition of rain and cold weather claimed sixteen lives and stopped the flow of wasters, who feared further illness. This proved only a minor setback however, as shipments continued. Tragedy befell the town in 2235 when raiders attacked in August. While they were again beaten off, they managed to kill the mayor and three laborers in the fields. A popular fixture in the community, the mayor's death put a damper on the settlement for the rest of the year, though another mayor was elected in the spring and life went on. Breeder Bugs reappeared in 2241, and again devastated the year's crop, though fortunately for the town, they had already sold the previous harvest. The next three years were spent fertilizing and revitalizing the soil, as well as irrigating the fields. The cash crop as well as corn and mutfruit were replanted in 2245 and grew better than in recent memory. The town's morale improved in 2248 with the arrival of Felix Maltis, a former caravanner and amateur brewer. Maltis moved into the old Wayside Bar, and built a rough still in the basement, going through several version before settling on one. His bar was up and running in 2249, and served as an informal meeting spot since. Another tornado would threaten the town in 2252, but stayed well east of it. Real danger would appear in 2254 in the form of the Skin-Taker pack of Badlanders. Apprised of their presence to the north, West End hired forty mercenaries from Kansas City, fearful of the nomads' reputation. The raiders appeared on the edge of town on September 3rd and charged the walls and guns of the defenders. Ten of the nineteen badlanders were brought down before the others reached the walls and began scaling, where they were quickly shot down. The townspeople rejoiced and celebrated, letting the mercenaries loot the bodies in addition to their pay, unaware the majority of the pack was in the Badlands Territory. West End started trading with the logging camp of East Wood in 2261, which continued for several years before raiders again disrupted the wagon in 2266. Mercenaries were again hired, but proved unable to drive the raiders away, merely reducing the rate of attacks. A fire would burn through the tobacco fields just before harvest in 2271, though it was extinguished before reaching the town. As they tried to replant, raiders would move closer to River's Landing, and cut off trade to the west. This ended in 2276 as the Tall Hill Raiders were destroyed, though the efforts to resume trade were limited by the destruction of the town. West End cemented trade ties with River's Landing in 2281 as the Kansas town's financier,Joshua Smiggg, bought a plot and hired laborers to work it, sending the crop to Fort Luck. Currently the town is expanding it's walls, and is preparing to do the same with it's warehouse. Layout West End occupies much of the southern end of the pre-war village, as well as the surrounding fields. The warehouse occupies a former antique shop, and is directly across from the informal gathering hall of The Wayside Bar. Government West End is led by an elected mayor, who is chosen every three years. Everyone who is over sixteen years and has lived in the town For at least a year is eligible, with the voting often occurring at the bar. The mayor is responsible for arranging trade with caravans and other settlements, as well as emergency decisions, such as a raider attack. They will often consult the townspeople first however, as they know their rule is tenuous. Economy West End is heavily invested in tobacco cultivation, with some subsistence farming and hunting occurring as well. The cash crop is traded for food stuff and dry goods, as well as for weapons and ammo. Some residents have begun to domesticate Jackalope or brahmin, but they are only a handful currently. Category:Communities Category:Places